937,600 SEE 'TUT' DURING 5-MONTH LACMA RUN.

Byline: - Valerie Kuklenski

By the time LACMA West closed ``Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs'' Sunday night, 937,613 visitors had viewed the ancient Egyptian artifacts from its June 16 opening to its 24-hour marathon closing weekend.

While it will remain overshadowed by the 1.25 million visitors to the 1978 blockbuster ``Treasures of Tutankhamun,'' officials at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art clearly were delighted with the result. The museum reported that 46 percent of Tut customers said it motivated them to visit LACMA for the first time, and more than 20,000 purchased memberships. Some 150,000 children saw the exhibit, 60,000 of them on field trips.

``In addition to providing an opportunity to experience outstanding works of art and to learn about ancient Egypt, 'Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs' helped draw significant new audiences to the museum,'' LACMA president Melody Kanschat said. ``It has proven to be a tremendous success, as demonstrated by the enormous attendance from new and regular visitors.''

Organizers of the exhibit - National Geographic, AEG Exhibitions, Arts and Exhibitions International and the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities - did not disclose the total gross revenue, but it was estimated that spending by visitors from outside Los Angeles County (64 percent of ticket buyers) had an economic impact of $168 million.